Riding with Marxist, we make some small talk as we pass the time on the trip back. I’m pretty sure I see Jen arguing with the jailer down one of the streets we cross over. At least I think it’s her. “If you pass Jen on the way back, please let her know that you brought me home.” I ask of him.

Coming out of the city, I sit in silence enjoying the ride. Three days. What could I do or plan in three days? If I somehow get back home, maybe I could buy and bring something back. Not like I could get a tank or military weapons. A gun or something maybe. I don’t know if that would help or not. Problem is, I don’t know what I’m preparing for or what to expect. I don’t know this world. I probably know or have an advantage in something, technology would be my first guess. Is any of that knowledge useful right now?

Thinking through what I do know. Three days. Archery range. Coming for the children. Then I might expect another gate. Probably the M-Trolls, goblins, and a Commander again. Maybe just men, like what Officer Trailbreaker was telling and asking me about. Do I fight and try to stop them? Wait until I see children being taken? Try to find where they are coming from? Negotiate with, and find a better solution for them?

It’s probably this environment that I’m in, along with playing too many games. My mind keeps going back to having a diverse group of four to eight people waiting at the Archery range, then dealing with whatever occurs when it happens.

I start making a mental list of the people I know. They certainly are a diverse group of people but aren’t we all. Few minutes of this and I keep coming back to myself. What can I do? How would I fit into any of these groups I’ve been imagining? I’m the weakest link of any of the OP parties I would want to put together.

I stop my daydreaming as I start to get a better view of Community Farms coming up in the distance. From this far out, I notice a few people scattered across the landscape and realize that people are casually patrolling / watching, as they intermittingly dot the landscape to either side.

“Marxist, could we head over to” I point out one of the closest, carrying a bow across his shoulders. “I want to see if he knows where Officer Trailbreaker is at.”

Heading off-road for a few hundred feet, getting closer, he turns towards us once it’s obvious that we are heading out to him. I shout out as we come close. “Hey, have you seen Officer Trailbreaker or know where he is? I need to talk with him.”

“He should be making rounds about now.” He answers. Dressed in leathers like Officer Trailbreaker and the other rangers I’ve seen, he tells me. “Keep heading up to Farms, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.

We turn back across this open part of the plains as he lets out a few whistles, coupled with some hand/arm signals, facing Community Farms in the distance.

Maybe a little more than five minutes pass, I hear some signaling away to our left, that causes us both to look. In the distance I see three figures running towards us, like nothing I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to a horse track and seen horses run, these three are all that and more. If I didn’t see them bounding over the landscape, I would think maybe I was seeing some kind of optical illusion and they were really on motorcycles or something.

Coming closer I can see that one is indeed Talon. I don’t recognize the other two. Leaping into the rear seat, amazingly light and with barely a sound, I might not have noticed if not watching him. The other two continue on.

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding.” He grins. “Heard you made some new friends with the Church of Light and found a new place to stay.” Looking over at Marxist, he and Talon are barely holding in the laughs.

“Yes, yes, everybody loves Jenn’s Grampa and he introduced me to some of his friends.” I banter back. “Bishop Ramos asked me to come by and see his church. Ava showed me around her garden.” Marxist lets out a sound “HA.” before he quickly reigns himself back in.

“I heard!” Talon exclaims. “Even offered to bring some Pixies to the service, so they can repent too.” Marxist can’t hold it in any longer but does manage to keep looking forward.

Talon, talking to the back of Marxist head now. “Brother Stabben was it?” Marxist laughing, nodding his head yes. “Should we be expecting him for prayers?” Talon continues as Marxist is shaking his head no, unable to stop laughing.

“He…He could always…Make an appointment with Jenn…” The Gnome laughing so hard, he rolls himself off the wagon. “HAaaa!” Talon exclaims. I can see his eyes watering up as he turns, stepping off the slowing wagon to follow the Gnome.

As the wagon comes to a halt, I sit there laughing to myself, listening to the two somewhere behind me.

“Oh Gods, Yes!” I hear Marxist exclaiming. “They were holding him down while she was trying to take care of his hand, and through it all he’s threatening to Swam the Church with Pixies until The Dwarf came and shut him up for the night.”

“That’s a little much to believe.” I can hear in his voice, Talons stopped laughing, but still must be grinning with the gossip.

“And before that, he was retching his bowls out like a Sick Drunken Orc on the stairway to the main doors!”

“…” I can hear Talon’s silence.

“The Bishop?” Talon asks in a hushed voice.

“I didn’t see” Marxist replies in the same hushed tone. “But the doors have been barred shut since.”

There’s a silent pause between them. I turn my head to look and they’re both standing behind the wagon grinning and looking at me.

“Is it true then?” Talon asks, but both still looking at me.

“It is…Priest.” Marxist answers. They both stare, but Officer Trailbreaker breaks first.

“HAHA Ha hahaha” They both go off. I just turn back around in my seat and let them go at it. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I let out a little smirk myself. I’ve got three days. Maybe I’ll just wake up at home.

*****

I step over into the back seat of the wagon. The two of them have died down and are getting back in. As Marxist starts to drive again, I turn to Talon. “I need some help and I don’t know where to turn or who to ask.” “Is there a way to keep track of, and locate several people, no matter how many, without following them? No matter if they fly or not.”

“That’s a rather large and non-specific request. There are. I would need a little more information to direct you. What are you trying to do?”

I think for a moment. “I heard something that makes me believe that they are coming back for more children. I was thinking that maybe there was a way to track or mark everything that came through an area, if we didn’t stop them, at least we could find them.”

“There are Trackers and Hunters who can mark and follow without being seen easily.” He says to me more seriously. “There are scrying devices and various spells that can do more.” Pausing. “What makes you believe this? How sure are you of what you heard?”

“There’s a Church that has barred its doors that makes me believe it is real.” I look at him trying to convey the seriousness and truthfulness of what I believe. “What I heard was that in three days, they are going to come again for the children. What am I going to do about it?”

“Do you know a location?” He asks.

“The archery field. Where they came through before.”

There are a few minutes of uncomfortable silence between us before I notice Talon watching me. He leans forward and asks Marxist “You want to hear something even more outlandish?”

“Sure” Marxist nods, still watching where he’s driving.

Looking at me, he says to Marxist “Before they took him down to see Ava, a certain someone was talking with The Paladin in his tent and pushed him away with the tip of his sword.”

I feel the wagon noticeable slow as Marxist turns almost completely around in his seat, to face the Ranger “No?” he half mumbles, unbelieving.

“Truth”. Now they’re both looking at me. “Unbelievable the audacity of it all.” I had forgotten how furious he was with me. Officer Trailbreaker continues “Inquisitor Lightbringer himself asks me not to hold this man in contempt. Says the offense is his to bear.” More moments of silence.

“Marxist, head up to the grave. Someone promised me some work and we might as well get it out of the way now.” It is a noticeable shift in the tone of his voice as Officer Trailbreaker falls back into his profession.

Marxist turns the wagon left and heads off-road. Heading in the direction we saw the three, Officer Trailbreaker and the other two, coming from. “You didn’t think I just ran over here with no purpose?” Officer Trailbreaker asks me.

Marxist breaks the silence this time. “Is it true, was an Ancient here?” Not turning to ask. “We went up last night to see the trees. Was one really here?”

“Not only was but still is.” Officer Trailbreaker answers.

“Gods! You hear about it sometimes. But to think one is so close.” Marxist comments.

“Reyansh Aarush.” Officer Trailbreaker explains. “Jenn claimed Birthright and validated the claim, mastering an elven great bow in public even.”

“I had heard. There was talk about whether the bow was true or not.” Marxist shaking his head. “Hard not to believe, when an Ancient has come down.”

“I could never have done it.” Looking over at me, Officer Trailbreaker could see that I didn’t understand it all. “The Bow would never have let me. Proves she’s of true Elven lineage. Proof enough even to call into question if she really is only half-elf. Only makes the feat closer to borderline legendary when you consider that.”

I listen to their conversation. I don’t know the names or the references. I enjoy the company and the ride all the same as we make our way through a break in the trees, turning into another dirt road between some low hills.